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PA President Mahmoud Abbas during a meeting with Palestinian women in Ramallah, Tuesday. (AP)
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| By Associated Press March 8, 2006 |
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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he endorses Israel's acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in elections this month.
In an interview published Wednesday in Italian daily Corriere della Sera, Abbas said that Olmert's victory would be a positive outcome for the March 28 national balloting.
"We'll respect the will of the Israeli people," he told the paper, adding, "I hope Olmert wins."
"I know him well. I believe that with him we could work in a productive way," said Abbas, who is widely known as Abu Mazen.
Olmert took over after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a massive stroke in January. He heads the Kadima party founded by Sharon, which is a front runner in the election.
In the interview, the Palestinian president also praised elder statesman Shimon Peres, also in Kadima, as "an old friend."
Looking at the recent Palestinian elections, Abbas, a moderate, insisted that if the Hamas militant group wanted to govern, it must recognize Israel and international law.
Hamas is poised to form the next government after sweeping parliamentary elections in January. The group is sworn to Israel's destruction and refuses to renounce violence.
Abbas did not say whether he thought Hamas would abide. "Let's wait and read their platform. It's not clear yet," he said.
Asked if new elections might be called if Hamas does not recognize international law, Abbas said, "I hope (this would happen) at a later stage," without elaborating.
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